26 February 2020. The role of Russia in resolving conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa was discussed at the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation
February 26, 2020
On 26 February 2020 the Civic Chamber of Russia hosted a round table of the Russian Public Council for International Cooperation and Public Diplomacy on the topic The role of Russia in resolving conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa.
Deputy Secretary of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Russian Public Council for International Cooperation and Public Diplomacy Sergei Ordzhonikidze noted that recently the Middle East and North Africa have been at the center of the international agenda, and Russia plays an important role in resolving conflicts in this region. At the same time, one of the key tasks remains the containment and weakening of Islamic extremism, radicalism, which today pose a threat to many countries in the world, emphasized Ordzhonikidze.
In his speech, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov said that due to the treacherous geopolitical engineering of the West, its deplorable results are felt not only in the Middle East and North Africa region but also all over the world: the number of refugees, internally displaced persons and illegal migrants is growing, the illegal circulation of weapons, drugs, human trafficking is flourishing, this all poses a serious threat to world security and the interests of Russia.
In his opinion, the key factor of the growing instability in the Middle East remains the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict, increased propencity for the recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights by the Trump administration, the transfer of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, legitimization of Israeli settlements on the West Bank of the Jordan River, and finally, the notorious "deal of the century" on the Middle East settlement.
“I think that the American initiative will not bring closer the prospect of achieving a lasting Middle East settlement. The only advantage is that the Palestinian problem, which has been in the background for a long time, is now again in the focus of world politics,” stated Mr. Bogdanov.
“Without Russia it is impossible to resolve any really difficult issue in the Middle East and North Africa. Our country plays a key role in the Syrian settlement, in the negotiations on the situation in Libya. The opinion and position of Russia are taken into consideration by all regional players. Russia, conducting a dialogue with all participants in various regional processes, demonstrates a pragmatic approach and adherence to the idea of polycentricity, which requires respect for the interests of all states," said the high-ranking Russian diplomat. Bogdanov supported the idea, conveyed in the resolution of the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the League of Arab States, on the need for multilateral negotiations with the participation of international mediators, including Russia.
Mikhail Bogdanov also touched on the topic of the Syrian settlement, among the priority tasks are the settlement of the situation around Idlib, the restoration of the country's territorial integrity, the normalization of relations with the states of the region, end of international isolation, improvement of the socio-economic situation, and assistance with the return of refugees. Strengthening the Syrian statehood meets the interests of the neighboring countries of Syria, the region and the world community as a whole, he said.
In addition, he gave an opinion about the lack of coordination in the efforts of the world community to help resolve the Libyan crisis. “Despite the ambiguity of the situation, we believe that reconciliation in Libya can be achieved. The Libyan parties have already managed to agree on such important issues as adherence to the sovereignty and integrity of Libyan territory, the unacceptability of external interference, readiness to fight terrorism, and the exchange of prisoners between the two conflicting parties. But there are still big contradictions and a lack of trust,” he said.
Head of the Middle East and North Africa section of the Higher School of Economics, Assistant to the Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Andrey Baklanov shared an example of public participation in the settlement processes, the so-called second track. As a result of expert consultations with American partners, he noted that a reassessment of policy in the Middle East is brewing in the United States, for example, regarding the effectiveness of financial investments in the region. Baklanov added that, despite the critical assessment of this policy, the US is not going to give up the power line.
Veniamin Popov, an analyst at the Center for Middle East Studies at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, touched upon the problem of information support for Russia's policy in the Middle East and North Africa. In his opinion, the existing information resources do not effectively convey to the Arab audience Russia's contribution to the settlement of conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. “In terms of presenting, we are losing a lot. We have defeated the most dangerous Islamic caliphate and must tell all Muslims that we saved them from the fact that extremists could take over this great, global religion, kidnap it,” he said convincingly.
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